Santa’s wine elves must have been working overtime this year. The Costco wine advent calendar is ready–and it’s only Labor Day Weekend!
We don’t grumble about Christmas creep where wine is involved. Holiday wines are an absolute joy…from German Glühwein to little glasses of Port by the fireplace. The earlier they’re in stores, the longer we get to celebrate with them.
I picked up my box at the West Plano, Texas store on August 31. It’s parked in the produce section next to a palette of Kirkland Signature Mendoza Malbec. Across the aisle, the swimsuits and Hawaiian shirts are turning gently to thermals and hoodies…another sign that winter is on the way.
As with Costco’s legendary hot dog combo, the corporate bigwigs have decided to hold the price steady: $99.99. (That’s for the box of wine–not the hot dog and soda.) Yay! The producer has remained the same, too: California’s Flying Blue Imports.
What’s inside? A grab bag of wine! As previously revealed, Costco’s 2025 calendar includes 24 half-bottles of wine. The 375 ml selections come from 14 countries. There’s red and white and rosé, sweet and dry, flavored and sparkling–and even a sake. The math works out to around $4.17 per half-bottle, plus tax.
While nothing in this box is likely to impress a wine snob, that’s all right. They’re usually at least drinkable. (Or if not drinkable by your standards, then definitely cookable.)
And they do offer some special utility: Half-bottles are really convenient for travel and for quick and casual dinners. I also like to keep half-bottles on hand for guests who prefer styles that I don’t usually have in my wine fridge.
Spoiler alert: The rest of this article discusses the wines inside the mysterious blue box.
Some of the wines appear to be the same as last year’s (for example, the Sheep Station Sauvignon Blanc and the Mendoza Nights Malbec). Some are new. And some have the same names, but are completely different wines. For example 2024’s “A Seaworthy Tale” was a California white, and this year it’s hopped the pond to become a Grüner Veltliner. “Once Upon a Time” was a French rosé, and now it’s a chocolate flavored wine. (Weird choice, but okay.)
The Wine Fairy was at a wine conference for five days last week and the old liver needs a break. So today I’m only unboxing–not uncorking.
But I do plan to taste all these wines before Christmas and let you know how they are! I’ve posted a complete list of the 2025 wines here. For more Costco wine love, you can also check out my 2024 Costco Wine Advent-ure Calendar review.
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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